Fiscal Year 2022 CDLPI Funding Conference QA.pdf

Commercial Driver’s License Division

February 2022

Fiscal Year 2022 Commercial Driver’s License Program Implementation (CDLPI) Funding Conference Q&As

On Wednesday, February 2, 2022, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Division held the annual funding conference for potential applicants.

The purpose of the funding conference was to:

Provide an overview of the CDLPI grant program;

Update participants on the Title VI Compliance Program requirements;

Outline important information from the fiscal year (FY) 2022 CDLPI Notice of Funding Opportunity

(NOFO);

Review an Example of Developing a CDLPI performance-based application structure;

Supply participants with available resources and contact information; and Answer any outstanding questions.

During the funding conference, FMCSA answered several questions. Below are the answers that were provided during the funding conference.

Question 1: Where do applications get submitted Grant Solutions or Grants.gov?

Response 1: All applications are required to be submitted via GRANTS.GOV

Question 2: Section D calls out specific elements and page counts for each element that must be included in the application (e.g. brief intro, problem statement, performance objective). Section E calls out the merit eval criteria. Under section E is a new element (Racial Equity and Climate Change & Sustainability). Is there an element/section in Section D applicants should speak to these new eval criteria? For example, should we limit our response to this eval to the monitoring plan?

Response 2: The NOFO does not indicate any specific element of the project narrative that should address the new merit review element entitled: Racial Equity and Climate Change & Sustainability. The applicant should determine what section of the project narrative is appropriate to address the new element.

That section in the merit review provides a few examples that may help you determine how and where to address in the application’s project narrative.

Question 3: Do we include the self-assessment for each project or once at the beginning of the grant?

Response 3: The self-assessment for SDLA’s is one to be addresses once with the project narrative because it should be applicable to all projects within one application. Section D. 2. iii indicates that It “… may be included as a part of the project’s program overview or project plan; a separate, stand-alone document is not required.”

Question 4: Is there an award ceiling for applications and/or individual projects?

Commercial Driver’s License Division

February 2022

Response 4: the CDLPI Notice of Funding Opportunity does not provide a ceiling for applications or individual projects.

Question 5: How does the USDOT define "monetary improvements" to property?

Response 5: The CDLPI NOFO does not define or use the phrase “monetary improvements.”

Section D. 6. Iv. of the NOFO discusses allowable expenses related to improvements of real property that do not violate the statutory prohibition in 49 §USC 31313(b).